Hey Guys,

I'm looking for a way to take my dog to my duck blind transporting him on my 4 wheeler. I've looked at some of the hitch hauls and strapping a kennel to it. I would mainly like to take him in his kennel. The problem with the hitch hauls is that it will have to be one that accepts 1 1/4" inch receiver and if it would get to hot back there with the exhaust. and how much it would cut down on the ground clearance. Have any of you guys done this? Any suggestions would be appreciated. And no I'm not going to trade in my sportsman for a Ranger. And I would let him run next to me if there wasn't so many cows he likes to chase the good meat.

 

I try not to talk about women that way.....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Will he just sit on the rack. My inlaws let thier dog ride with them when they are putting around the yard, he just hops up on the rear rack and goes for a ride. If he won't stay you could try setting him up there and clipping a short lead to the rack.

 

I installed a 2" hitch receiver on my 2000 SP500 and I use the hitch haul rack to transport gear in and out of hunt camp. I love the extra rack space and it sure beats pulling a trailer. I haven't had any trouble with lost ground clearance. At one point the trail into our camp drops about 2 feet in and out of a creek at a 90 degree angle and the hitch haul doesn't bottom out. The only "con" with hauling stuff on the rack is that anything back there gets VERY dirty from anything your rear tires kick up.

The rack is positioned so that I don't think exhaust heat would be a problem for your dog. I would, however, block any airvents on the side of the crate closest to the ATV so he doesn't suck in the exhaust fumes.

As for your 1 1/4" receiver, they do make 1 1/4" to 2" receiver converters that you could use, but I don't know if this would extend the rack so far out the back that the weight on the rack would put you in danger of flipping. How about just getting a 2" receiver? I bought mine on ebay for only $30.

I've also seen flat rear rack extenders and drop baskets (at Cabela's) that would make your rear rack big enough to strap your dog's crate directly behind you. They say universal fit, so I suppose they should work with the new Polaris racks.

When it comes to my dog, I let her run in and out of camp. I did, however, work with her a bunch and trained her to sit behind me on the seat of the ATV in case she got hurt or couldn't run out for some reason. This came in very handy after one exceptionally long weekend. Coming out, she got tired and slowed to a trot with another 2 miles still to go. (I've never seen her just trot on the trail before!) I had her hop up behind me and she got to sight-see the rest of the way.

 

Along with the conversion to 2" receiver idea, you might consider a rear rack, especially the kind offered by Cabela's Cabela's Hitch Haul

In fact, their catalog shows the rack being used for a dog crate. They do note, "On certain models of ATV's, caution should be used when placing items directly behind exhaust, to avoid heat damage."

 

I have a black lab ,I just put a blanket over the tank and pod. He jumbs right up and does not bother me on the high speed road. On the slow rough trails he has to wait for me so he run ahead and comes back to see how i,m making out.

 

I bought a haul all off ebay (~$45 shipped), the kind that fits inside a 2" receiver. I had a friend of mine cut a piece of 1 1/4" square stock about 1' long and I welded some 1/4" x 1 3/4" x 7" pieces of plate steel to it. This slide on the inside of the haul all. They do make an adapter for going from a 1 1/4" to 2" receiver, it looks big and bulky though, that's why I made mine.

The haul all comes with 2 offset pieces that allow you to get the correct angle when the haul all is installed. Mine is only 40" wide, so it is narrower than my SP700 (see my list). So far this works. I too am going to use this duck hunting and deer hunting and also around the house.

The picture from Cabelas is like mine, only mine is 40" wide not 48". Here is link to one like mine on ebay Hitch Haul

Hopes this helps.

 

Only way I could get my dog on the atv is to Duct tape his feet together and Bungee cord him down.

 

i was thinking of that movie VACATION. just tie the leash to the rear rack.

 

I built one using 1" angle and light guage expanded metal. My 80 lb lab loves to ride there. I didn't kick it up as high as the one Cabela's sell, but for a reason. She had bad hips and I wanted her to be able to just step on. It pretty much is on level with the hitch. It works real well, but does drag just a little at times. She doesn't like that either! It was more trouble looking up materials than building it. I would recomend just buying one and putting plywood or somehing in the bottom for the dog to stand on. It might be necessasary to tie the dog on for the first few rides, but they catch on quickly. The worse problem I have now is keeping her off it.